.March
23 (EWTNews) After celebrating Mass in the Upper Room, the Holy Father
met privately for fifteen minutes with Israel's two chief rabbis
Israel Meir Lau for the Ashkenazim - European Jews not of Spanish
origin - and Eliahu Bakshi-Doron for the Sephardim, or Spanish and
Oriental Jews at Hechal Sclomo at the seat of the Great Rabbinate of
Israel at Hechal Shlomo in new Jerusalem. While they were meeting, the
gathered distinguished guests, different Rabbis and members of the
Catholic congregation traveling with the Pope, were asked to talk
informally on various issues.

Cardinal Cassidy thanked the Rabbis for their welcome and exclaimed
that the Catholic congregation looks forward to building a new
relationship based on understanding and this meeting; and developing a
partnership of two great religions. He then introduced the other
members of the Catholic congregation.

One rabbi in the general audience commented, "There is clearly
an understanding that there are deep theological differences between
us, but we feel that the challenges being presented to us are facing
both Judaism and Catholicism; and the challenges have greater weight
than the differences among us. May we face the challenges together and
with the help of God, may this lead to peace."

As soon as the Pope and the two chief rabbis emerged from their
private meeting the rabbis presented the Holy Father with a Bible with
the inscription of a verse for from prophet Micah: "All the
nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name
of the LORD our God for ever and ever" (4,5) and "Greater
are you when you come in lesser when you come out" in reference
to Pope John Paul's coming to the Holy Land.

Without any public commentary on their private meeting, the Pope
left the building and proceeded to meet with the Israelís President,
Ezer Weizman.

Before leaving for his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the Holy Father
wrote six months ago: "While this focus on the Holy Land
expresses the Christian duty to remember, it also seeks to honour the
deep bond which Christians continue to have with the Jewish people
from whom Christ came according to the flesh (cf. Rom 9:5). Much
ground has been covered in recent years, especially since the Second
Vatican Council, in opening a fruitful dialogue with the people whom
God chose as the first recipients of his promises and of the Covenant.
The Jubilee must be another opportunity to deepen the sense of the
bonds that unite us, helping to remove once and for all the
misunderstandings which, sad to say, have so often through the
centuries marked with bitterness the relationship between Christians
and Jews."